Bink-A-Thon How-To Do List: Have your own event

HERE ARE SOME TIPS AND INFORMATION TO HAVE A SMOOTH RUNNING BAT.WE HAVE HAD THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR, BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE AT LEAST 40 PARTICIPANTS.

THESE ARE THE COMPLETE STEPS USED BY OUR CHAPTER. YOU MAY NOT CARE ABOUT PUBLICITY OR HAVING PEOPLE OUTSIDE YOUR CHAPTER SIGN UP OR FOOD. IF NOT, JUST SKIP THOSE ITEMS.

Best of luck!

Miriam Siegel, Vice President
FORMER Home Group BAT Chairperson

STEP 1 – LOCATION PLANNING 9-12 MONTHS OUT IF POSSIBLE:

Select a BAT committee

Pick date/time and secure a place to hold the BAT.(check to see if you can “set up” the night before)

Assign a team to get the word out about your BAT; newspapers, radio, make flyers and drop at Fabric Shops, etc.

STEP 2 – 4 MONTHS OUT, IDEALLY

Have a press release or flyers for local quilt shops, bulletin boards, crafters newsletters to tell them of the event and get people interested in signing up for the event. Get their phone AND emails AND addresses to keep them in the loop for other events.

Try to find someone/restaurant/company to sponsor food for the lunches, breakfast pastries, coffee, drinks, etc. Many chapters do pot-lucks too.

STEP 4 – SPONSORSHIP AND COUPONS

If you are sewing, you'll need batting and backing. Usually there are enough people willing to donate stash and scraps, but you need the big backs.

Contact local area hotels - nice ones - for sheets. They are always washed when they are donated and are VERY soft. Perfect for tie-dying too. Scouts love to do this!

Contact local area businesses to see if they'd be willing to send a team or sponsor the event by donating food or batting.

Ask volunteers for coupons - you can get batting 1/2 price most of the time if you plan ahead.

STEP 3 – ONE MONTH OUT

Make a diagram of your floor plan, taking into consideration the location of your electrical outlets and blowing fuses!

If you are having food, (lunch) make sure you have enough paper goods for all. Include a RSVP, so you will have an accurate head count

DO YOU NEED SIGNAGE? MAKE POSTERS OR HAVE A BANNER TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO YOUR EVENT. THIS IS A GREAT TEEN PROJECT – CHEERLEADERS ARE WONDERS AT POSTERS.

You may have a lot of binkies that day. Are there particular agencies, shelters, etc. that will be receiving them? Perhaps you can arrange for a representative to arrive towards the end of your event to take the binkies. This would be one less item to worry about during clean up.

You can also make the no-sew fleece binkies - but you need to get your fleece ahead of time or ask your volunteers to bring it that day. Great way to handle younger volunteers and less crafty folks. http://bit.ly/HkY1uR for instructions.

Confirm with sponsors and have your supplies ready, including fabric.

STEP 4 – DAY OF OR DAY BEFORE

We set up “stations” around the room, divided as follows.

“top sewers”

pinners / sandwich makers who match up the tops to a bottom and get batting in between. http://youtu.be/L9boeEsd2TE to see how it's done.

“edge sewers”

turner (turns the binky right side out, after it has been sewed)

“tie off” the quilts

ironers - we ask for 1 iron per 7 machines. More for non-sewers to do and helps make smooth seams.

Verify labels are on, count and bag.

Send this out to your volunteers who have signed up or have it as they walk in and get name tags. (newcomers BAT doc)

STEP 5 – DAY OF YOUR BAT

If you are having food, (lunch) make sure you have enough paper goods for all. Include a RSVP, so you will have an accurate head count.

Offer coffee in the a.m., if convenient. (We supply bottled water for all)

Draft the “to do” list on the morning of the BAT and assign jobs to people:

put up banners/signs

set up sign-in area, pens, name tags,

set out labels

tape small brown bags to each sewing spot(secure with masking tape) used for catching loose scraps/ thread

arrange the “count and bag” area

make sure pins, needles,misc.supplies are out

We utilize non-sewers as “runners” they “run” the finished tops to the pinners ,pinners to sewers, sewers to bagging area, etc. Girl Scouts really enjoy this. Ironing is another great task for non-sewers. Good for everyone to learn how to iron. :)

ONGOING:
Year round, we make what we call KITS”. We pre-cut fabric into strips.
Makes it easy to allow sewers to "shop" for fabric that day. Non-sewing volunteers can help set up fabric.

Sometimes we have a pre-event to allow non-sewing and sewing volunteers to come iron and cut fabric into strips. Saves time and further builds community.

Towards the end of the BAT, if possible, invite one or more of the Agencies where you make Binky deliveries. It’s a great opportunity for them to see you “in action” and you won’t have to haul all the completed Binkies home.

Keep a list of donated items and send out Thank You notes.

This is a list of supplies we use and have at the BAT:
Duct tape
Scotch tape
Batting
Masking tape
Sign in sheet - get emails!
Strips
Name tags
Large clamps
Fabric
Clear trash bags, 33 gallon size
Bottled water
Paper bowls for the “pins,” thread, etc.
Extension cords - marked
Pens
Scissors - GOOD ONES - make sure your volunteers all bring GOOD scissors.
Brown paper bags to tape by sewers for their threads and trash.
Binky labels
Craft thread
Chocolate candy
Needles - for labels and some extras for machines.
Shop vac
Pins

DAY OF BAT: JOB ASSIGNMENTS

PUT UP BANNERS/POSTERS
1.
2.

PUT OUT PINS, CRAFT THREAD, NEEDLES
1.
2.

SIGN-IN SHEET AREA
1.
2.

BINKIE “TIE-OFF” AREA/BATTING
1.
2.

SETTING OUT KITS AND LABELS AT THE “SEWERS TABLES”
1.

IN CHARGE OF THE “RUNNERS”
1.
2.

TAPING SMALL BROWN BAGS TO TABLES
1.
2.

BAGGING AND COUNTING BINKIES
1.
2.

ASSIST IN PINNING/SANDWICH MAKING (We use Non-Sewers for this.)
1.
2.
3.
4.